Problem No. 1: The kitchen countertop is showing its age. Problem number two: Granite and marble countertops are $100 to $150 a square foot installed, way beyond your budget.

Solution: We've found a bunch.

A little dab will do you

It won't last forever, but a coat of specialty paint on your laminate top can brighten it up, says Paul Denys, owner of Denys Builds Designs in Ottawa. Benjamin Moore's Advance, roughly $60 for 3.7 litres, is a good choice. "And if it doesn't last long enough, just repaint it."

The paint comes in a rainbow of colours. Make sure to clean the countertop thoroughly before painting, and follow the manufacturer's instructions. Sharp knife blades and hot pots can scratch or discolour paint, so go easy on your freshened-up countertop.

Lovely laminate & terrific tile

Laminate is considered the poor cousin of higher-priced, must-have materials like granite. That's unfair, according to John Liptak, president of Navan-based OakWood Renovation Experts. "Modern laminates can look beautiful, with really nice textures," he says. Available in everything from brushed nickel to granite look-a-likes, laminate is also an easy match for almost any style of kitchen.

IKEA's Numerar line of contemporary laminates start at $69 for a two-colour, 65-by-126 centimetre section with a black metal or white metal effect. Standard laminates elsewhere run $10 to $15 a square foot plus installation, which costs anywhere up to $500 for a standard kitchen.

Liptak says tile is another alternative to more expensive upgrades. He suggests using a product like a Schluter membrane as a buffer between the tile and existing laminate or wood to provide waterproofing.

See schluter.com for local dealers. Tile itself is sturdy and heat resistant, although the grout is tough to keep clean and usually needs replacing at some point. You should also opt for full-body porcelain tile: the colour goes all the way through so you don't notice a small chip as much as you do with ceramic tile, where the clay subsurface can show through.

Companies, including Euro Ceramics on Belfast Road (euroceramics.ca) carry a wide selection of tiles starting at about $5 a square foot. The bigger the tile — Euro Ceramics has them up to a hulking 51 by 102 centimetres — the fewer the seams and the less grout.

Liptak says to factor in that, as soon as you start doing major countertop replacements, costs mount. The new countertop, for example, may not reach as high as the old one, leaving a gap between it and the backsplash. Moulding sometimes works to fill the gap, but a new backsplash may be necessary. Changing the countertop normally means removing the sink and faucets as well, which may require calling in a plumber.

Get cultured

Although normally used for bathroom vanities and shower floors, cultured granite from Riverstone Surfaces near Brockville (riverstonesurfaces.com) can make an affordable and attractive kitchen countertop. The product is a blend of 75 per cent limestone and 25 per cent resin and pigment. It comes in 25 colours.

The product is usually installed on three-quarter-inch plywood to give it rigidity. Says company owner Sheldon Fournier, "I always tell customers that compared to solid granite, this is a little softer, so it will mark but not stain. Small chips can be filled in or just sanded out."

In most cases, cultured granite from Riverstone Surfaces costs $47 a square foot including removal of the old countertop and cutting out the sink area in the new countertop.

Granite look at bargain basement prices

Granicrete Ottawa (granicreteottawa.ca) is an Ottawa-area company that promises to create the look of granite, marble, slate and travertine for a fraction of the price by using a concrete overlay system on an existing countertop. A thin layer of concrete is hand-trowelled onto any surface, from tile to Corian. Colour is then added and a sealing epoxy applied. The total thickness is about one-eighth of an inch.

"You can hit it with a hammer, and it might make a dent or a scuff, but then you just apply fresh epoxy or re-polish it," says Granicrete Ottawa franchise partner Zack Askew.

Also suitable for showers, fireplace hearths and other applications, installed price is $35 to $75 a square foot.

Mix and match

If you have an island, make it the showpiece with a granite top and use laminate in the rest of the kitchen, suggests Barbara Purdy, a designer at Ottawa's Deslaurier Custom Cabinets.

"Make them complement each other by having one patterned and the other more understated. Stick to a common granite colour like Cambrian Black so that, if you want to change the laminate to granite in a few years, you won't have any trouble matching it."

She also likes the look of butcher block complementing another surface. Butcher block, which costs around $50 a square foot plus installation for one-and-a-half-inch unfinished maple, is ideal for food preparation areas like an island.

Some homeowners replace existing laminate edging with wood, but Bill Laurysen, vice-president of operations at Ottawa's Laurysen Kitchens, is wary. "It's susceptible to water damage. It also gets dirty because you're always brushing up against it, so there's maintenance involved." He suggests instead blending new Corian edging, available in strips, with existing laminate or other materials.

As long as it doesn't interfere with cabinet doors, a new two or three-inch wide laminate or other edging will give a modern, chunky look to an existing countertop.

Almost Done!

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By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.